Montecito (processor)
Encyclopedia
Montecito is the code-name of a major release of Intel's Itanium 2
Itanium
Itanium is a family of 64-bit Intel microprocessors that implement the Intel Itanium architecture . Intel markets the processors for enterprise servers and high-performance computing systems...

 Processor
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...

 Family (IPF), which implements the Intel Itanium architecture on a dual-core processor. It was officially launched by Intel on July 18, 2006 as the "Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processor". According to Intel, Montecito doubles performance versus the previous, single-core Itanium 2 processor, and reduces power consumption by about 20%.http://www.intel.com/products/processor/itanium2/index.htm It also adds multi-threading capabilities (two threads per core), a greatly expanded cache subsystem (12 MB per core), and silicon support for virtualization.

Architectural Features and Attributes

  • Two cores per die
    Die (integrated circuit)
    A die in the context of integrated circuits is a small block of semiconducting material, on which a given functional circuit is fabricated.Typically, integrated circuits are produced in large batches on a single wafer of electronic-grade silicon or other semiconductor through processes such as...

  • 2-way coarse-grained multithreading per core (not simultaneous). Montecito-flavour of multi-threading is dubbed temporal, or TMT. This is also known as switch-on-event multithreading, or SoEMT. The two separate threads do not run simultaneously, but the core switches thread in case of a high latency
    Latency (engineering)
    Latency is a measure of time delay experienced in a system, the precise definition of which depends on the system and the time being measured. Latencies may have different meaning in different contexts.-Packet-switched networks:...

     event, like an L3 cache miss
    CPU cache
    A CPU cache is a cache used by the central processing unit of a computer to reduce the average time to access memory. The cache is a smaller, faster memory which stores copies of the data from the most frequently used main memory locations...

     which would otherwise stall execution. By this technique, multi-threaded workloads, including database
    Database
    A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...

    -like workloads, should improve by 15-35%.
  • a total of 4 threads per die
  • separate 16 KB
    Kilobyte
    The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...

     Instruction L1 and 16 KB Data L1 cache per core
  • separate 1 MB
    Megabyte
    The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...

     Instruction L2 and 256 KB Data L2 cache per core
    , improved hierarchy
    Memory hierarchy
    The term memory hierarchy is used in the theory of computation when discussing performance issues in computer architectural design, algorithm predictions, and the lower level programming constructs such as involving locality of reference. A 'memory hierarchy' in computer storage distinguishes each...

  • 12 MB L3 cache per core, 24 MB L3 per die
  • 1.72 billion transistor
    Transistor
    A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...

    s
    per die, which is added up from:
    • core logic
      Digital circuit
      Digital electronics represent signals by discrete bands of analog levels, rather than by a continuous range. All levels within a band represent the same signal state...

       — 57M, or 28.5M per core
    • core caches — 106.5M
    • 24 MB L3 cache — 1550M
    • bus
      Computer bus
      In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.Early computer buses were literally parallel electrical wires with multiple connections, but the term is now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same...

       logic & I/O
      Input/output
      In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...

       — 6.7M
  • Die size is 27.72 mm × 21.5 mm, or 596 mm²
  • 90 nanometer
    90 nanometer
    The 90 nm process refers to the level of CMOS process technology that was reached in the 2002–2003 timeframe, by most leading semiconductor companies, like Intel, AMD, Infineon, Texas Instruments, IBM, and TSMC....

     design
  • Lower power
    Electric power
    Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...

     consumption and thermal
    Heat
    In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...

     dissipation
    than earlier flagship Itaniums, despite the high transistor count and higher clock
    Clock signal
    In electronics and especially synchronous digital circuits, a clock signal is a particular type of signal that oscillates between a high and a low state and is utilized like a metronome to coordinate actions of circuits...

     speeds; 75-104 W
    Watt
    The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...

    . This is mainly achieved by applying different types of transistors. By default, slower and low-leakage
    Leakage (semiconductors)
    In semiconductor devices, leakage is a quantum phenomenon where mobile charge carriers tunnel through an insulating region. Leakage increases exponentially as the thickness of the insulating region decreases. Tunneling leakage can also occur across semiconductor junctions between heavily doped...

     transistors were used, while high-speed, thus high-leakage ones where it was necessary.
  • Advanced compensation for errors in cache, for reliable operation under mission-critical workloads. This was code-named Pellston technology during development, and has recently been renamed Intel Cache Safe Technology.
  • Virtualization technology allowing multiple OS instances per chip. This was known as Silvervale technology during development, and is now called Intel Virtualization Technology.
  • Improved, higher bandwidth
    Bandwidth (computing)
    In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...

    front side bus
    Front side bus
    A front-side bus is a computer communication interface often used in computers during the 1990s and 2000s.It typically carries data between the central processing unit and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge....

     (FSB), with three times the capacity of the existing bus design. It is meant to be at system level (per node, with 4 dies). System throughput
    Throughput
    In communication networks, such as Ethernet or packet radio, throughput or network throughput is the average rate of successful message delivery over a communication channel. This data may be delivered over a physical or logical link, or pass through a certain network node...

     per node should be at least 21 GB
    Gigabyte
    The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...

    /s
    Second
    The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....

    , which suggest dual 333.333 MHz (double pumped
    Double data rate
    In computing, a computer bus operating with double data rate transfers data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal. This is also known as double pumped, dual-pumped, and double transition....

    , resulting 2×667 effective MHz) front side bus. However, it is up to system integrators how they organize their bus topology.
  • All Montecito processors support 533 MHz / 400 MHz FSB speed.
  • Also available with legacy
    Legacy system
    A legacy system is an old method, technology, computer system, or application program that continues to be used, typically because it still functions for the users' needs, even though newer technology or more efficient methods of performing a task are now available...

     FSB for upgrading
    Upgrade
    The term upgrade refers to the replacement of a product with a newer version of the same product. It is most often used in computing and consumer electronics, generally meaning a replacement of hardware, software or firmware with a newer or better version, in order to bring the system up to date...

     existing system designs.
  • Eliminates the hardware-based x86
    X86 architecture
    The term x86 refers to a family of instruction set architectures based on the Intel 8086 CPU. The 8086 was launched in 1978 as a fully 16-bit extension of Intel's 8-bit based 8080 microprocessor and also introduced segmentation to overcome the 16-bit addressing barrier of such designs...

     instruction emulation circuity, in favor of the more efficient software-based IA-32 Execution Layer
    IA-32 Execution Layer
    The IA-32 Execution Layer is a software emulator in the form of a software driver that improves performance of 32-bit applications running on 64-bit Intel Itanium-based systems, particularly those running Linux and Windows Server 2003...

    .http://news.com.com/2100-1006_3-6028817.html


On October 25, 2005 Intel announced that the first dual-core Itanium processor would be delayed until "the middle of next year." http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123190,00.asp Montecito was launched on July 18, 2006. Due to unspecified issues, Intel’s Foxton power management technology
Foxton Technology
Foxton is an Intel code-name for a power-management technology that was originally planned for inclusion in the first dual-core Itanium 2 processor...

 was disabled in the first release of Montecito, and the front-side bus frequency was reduced to 267 MHz (533.333 MHz effective) instead of the 333 MHz speed originally scheduled for the design [3].

At the time of launch, the following models and pricing were available:
  • Itanium 2 9050 1.60 GHz / 24 MB L3 — $3,692
  • Itanium 2 9040 1.60 GHz / 16 MB L3 — $1,980
  • Itanium 2 9030 1.60 GHz / 8 MB L3 — $1,552
  • Itanium 2 9020 1.42 GHz / 12 MB L3 — $910
  • Itanium 2 9015 1.40 GHz / 12 MB L3 — $749
  • Itanium 2 9010 1.60 GHz / 6 MB L3 / single core — $696


There are no plans for additional Montecito processors; the successor, Montvale was released in late 2007.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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